German Riesling Sound Choice For Sultry Summer

As temperatures climb, it’s time to reach for the cool refreshment of German Riesling.

If things are heating up in your part of the world, we have two excellent suggestions for cool white wines. We tried a pair of Rieslings from Germany and although distinct in style, they are united in offering delicious taste and prices that make them excellent values.

Riesling From Rheinhessen

The 2016 Dr. Heyden Oppenheimer Kabinett Riesling is a beautiful wine, juicy and balanced. The estate was founded in the Oppenheimer region of Rheinhessen by Dr. Karl Heyden in 1999. Today the work is carried on by his sons. The Riesling vines average 25 years of age and are grown in loam soil rich in limestone.

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The first sip is mouth-watering thanks to abundant acidity. The flavor profile includes honey, apricot, and lime zest. A beautiful seam of salinity punctuates this wine.

This is slightly off-dry with RS of 1.5%, which provides a generous rainbow of flavor. ABV is 11.5%, so it complements rather than overpowers food. Spicy dishes like Thai cuisine would be a good choice.

Secret In The Slate

Clean Slate Riesling has been a favorite of ours for many years (the first vintage was 2005). This is a “go-to” wine that is widely available in restaurants and stores and is appreciated by wine aficionados or newbies. That takes some of the guesswork out of entertaining.

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The name of the wine isn’t just clever marketing. This Riesling is from from Mosel. This region is famed for its Riesling as well as its thin slate stones in its soil. The slate reflects and retains heat, which allows the perfect ripening of the grapes in the chilly German climate. So precious are the slate stones that slip from the Clean Slate vineyard into the river are collected and carried back to their place up the treacherous slopes. 

Grapes for the 2019 vintage come from the upper, lower, and middle parts of the Mosel River Valley each contributing its own unique characteristic. Notes of apple and pear swirl with a touch of sweetness. The residual sugar is a touch higher (2.3%) than the Dr. Heyden, but the acid and minerality provide a counterbalance that results in a balanced wine. The alcohol is a low 10.9% and the stainless steel finishing keeps the flavor crisp and clean. Asian cuisine, pork, fish, and poultry are good choices with Clean Slate.

Both wines sell for less than $15 and represent a great value.

Full disclosure: These wines were received as a marketing sample.

Elkin Creek Vineyard And Winery: A North Carolina Winery Visit

Located at the site of a 19th-century grist mill, Elkin Creek Vineyard continues to make history.

A Watery Beginning

I had a feeling we were going to love Elkin Creek Vineyard. We had started our day in North Carolina’s Yadkin Valley wine country with a hike to Carter Falls. The scenic falls on Elkin Creek are a great hiking and photo destination, so we decided to set out even though the rain was beginning to fall. We were glad to end our hike as the rain started to pick up. I glanced at my watch and noticed it was “wine o’clock.”

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Elkin Creek Vineyard is just a short drive from the trailhead and we made it there just as the sky opened up. When we visited the main tasting room was closed, but there was plenty of room on the covered patio. (The tasting room has since reopened, check the Elkin Creek website for details.) The location suited us fine as our dog was along on this trip and she could lounge comfortably while we sipped wine.

Safe from the rain we began a tasting flight as droplets pattered around us. The location of the winery is wonderful and given a nice day we would have loved to explore the grounds, right on the rushing Elkin Creek, which is a tributary of the Yadkin River.

Mark Greene established the winery/restaurant in 2001 after buying the century-old mill. Since 2011 the winery has been owned and operated by Nick and Jennifer White and Louis and Carrie Jeroslow. Louis is the winemaker.

From Blue Man To Red Wine

The two couples met while working on the production crew of Blue Man Group in Las Vegas. I gathered this nugget of information from Carrie who introduced herself and gave us some background on the winery and wines. This, I thought, was wonderful. I had the pleasure of seeing BMG at the Luxor in Vegas following a training program. It was one of the most creative, madcap evenings of entertainment I’ve ever had.

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To take that overflowing creativity and channel it into wines, now that would be something special. According to Carrie, it often requires hard, non-stop work, but we found the end results to be worth it. With that prologue, we were ready to taste some wine.

The flight began with the 2019 Chardonnay. This wine is aged in stainless steel for a Chablis-style taste. The profile is green apple and citrus. The Elkin Creek estate vineyards are planted to Merlot, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. For wines like this where the grapes aren’t grown on property, they are sourced from other growers in Yadkin Valley. Retail is $20.

The 2019 Soft White was a surprise. It is 100% Niagara, which is a labrusca grape. Sometimes these grapes can taste “foxy.” My wife found this to be delicious with just the right touch of fruitiness.

The name of the next wine lowers your expectations, but you’re in for a pleasant surprise after your first sip. Adequate Red is a non-vintage blend of primarily Merlot and Syrah. It’s a winemaker blend that varies from year to year. This has just the right blend of fruit and spice flavors. At $18 a bottle, it is suggested you purchase several.

From Dornfelder To Vin Doux

The 2017 Dornfelder was my favorite of the visit. Dornfelder is a German grape used to make everyday reds, sometimes with a bit of sweetness. This is a wine to savor now, rather than put in your cellar and age. There are notes of cooked fruit and nutmeg to go with a silky body. I purchased a bottle and a few days later, the bottle was opened on our patio and our guests raved about every last drop. A bargain at $20.

Carrie calls the 2018 Rossa the “taste of Yadkin.” It’s a Bordeaux-style blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot which is aged in French Oak. Rossa is named for the area’s “terra rossa,” a red clay soil that is similar to that found in Tuscany. The combination of sandy soil and terra rossa allows the ground to maintain just the right amount of water for growing wine grapes.

Rossa can be considered the winery’s flagship red. The focus is on cherry and raspberry riding on soft tannins with a vanilla accent. This is a standout wine at $22.

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon also gets aging in French barrels. We give the nod to the Rossa blend over the Cab, which doesn’t quite achieve the depth of flavor we like in our Cabs.

Our friend Arthur goes ga-ga over the Vin Doux wine produced by Elkin Creek. The wine (we had the 2015 vintage) is aged for three years in French oak. It’s a port-style wine with flavors of dried, dark fruit and ample sweetness. It’s fortified with brandy and has an ABV of 18%. The cost is $24.

The wines we had were excellent, but there is more to the story. Elkin Creek is famed for their made-to-order brick-oven pizza, which it serves every Sunday. The winery is also known as a top wedding and celebration destination. Elkin Creek has four rustic cabins which feature all the modern amenities in an idyllic woodland setting.

Dry Creek Vineyard Trio Offers Elegance And Charm

Three releases just perfect for your springtime sipping.

As the world slowly lurches forward out of its malaise, it’s time to celebrate with bright and optimistic wines. Can wines be optimistic? We think so, and our mood certainly brightened after tasting these new releases from Dry Creek Vineyard in Sonoma.

2019 DCV Block 10 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley

Grapes for this wine come from 30 select rows in the DCV Block 10 Vineyard in Russian River Valley. The grapes are whole-cluster pressed, a technique we especially love in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

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It has lemon notes mingled with minerality. Its richness is enhanced by barrel-aging in French oak (28% new) and malolactic fermentation. The overall flavor is bright, with hints of oak from its brief aging. A beautifully balanced Chard priced at $34.

2020 Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley

This is a superb wine that is an undeniable value. The wine is 71% Sauvignon Blanc and includes Sauvignon Gris (7%) and Sauvignon Musqué (22%) clones. The Sauvignon Musqué provides juiciness and the Sauvignon Gris provides texture. We just love the complexity that comes with this blend. It makes other Sauvignon Blancs look plain by comparison.

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The barrel regimen is also unique: 17% is aged in acacia, chestnut, and oak barrels - the rest stainless steel. Dry Creek Vineyard has more than 50 years of experience with growing Sauvignon Blanc in Dry Creek Valley, and it shows. This is a layered glass of balanced acidity, herbaceousness, cooling grapefruit, lime zest and rounded apricot and stone fruit notes. Each nuanced sip beckons you to take one more. SRP is $20.

2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Creek Valley

Think Dry Creek Valley is only for Zinfandel? Hold your horses. Although the region is known primarily for Zinfandel, the AVA has almost as much Cabernet Sauvignon planted. This Cab benefits from vibrant sunshine and cool foggy evenings to ripen just right while maintaining ample acidity.

This is a silky take on Cab with 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 5% Malbec, and 2% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It spends 19 months in French oak (36% new). There is a cranberry core with floral highlights. A delightful mineral note wraps it all together. We found this to be delightful on the patio paired with a starry night. It is right-priced also, at $32.

Full Disclosure: This wine was received as a marketing sample.

Serre Vineyards: North Carolina Winery Visit

A newcomer to the NC wine scene, this Mt. Airy winery scores high marks.

On The Road Again!

Serre Vineyards, in North Carolina’s Yadkin Valley, captured our imagination since we learned of its opening. It’s at the northern end of North Carolina’s wine country and not far from where we were recently staying in Mt. Airy.

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Our trip was the first real wine sortie since the pandemic began. We began our trip visiting a winery in Virginia, but now we were on our home turf once again, and ready to sip some excellent wine.

Serre Vineyard is located on Beast Trail in Mt. Airy and the name of the road piqued our interest. We found that things were not beastly, in fact, quite the opposite. Still, The Beast would make a great name for a wine, wouldn’t it?

The tasting room is actually a tasting barn, and we were delighted to learn that it was styled after one of our favorite Finger Lakes wineries, Hermann J. Wiemer. We’ve had the good fortune to visit the Wiemer tasting barn and the 3,000 square-foot Serre facility captures the same feel, open and airy. It’s built in the modern farmhouse style with European accents. In the time of COVID, its crisp and clean look was also welcome.

New Vines Taking Root

Serre opened in September 2020 and so at this point, the grapes and winemaking come from outside sources, specifically Round Peak and Childress wineries. The vines are now in the ground for the estate vineyard and as they bear fruit, the winery will transition to its own grapes.

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The property is 70 acres of farmland at more than 1,300 feet in elevation with a stellar view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We started our visit inside the tasting room but soon ambled out to the best spot at the winery: comfortable Adirondack chairs with views of the mountains, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Cumberland Knob.

Owner and “chief tasting officer” Christian Krobisch has a background in finance and is currently working with the helpful winemakers in Yadkin Valley to learn his craft and in time assume full-time winemaking duties.

Have no fear, there is plenty of wine at the winery and it’s quite good! Lauri led us through our tasting, which began with white wine and a rosé.

The 2019 Chardonnay is a light wine with bright flavors of apple. It’s barrel-fermented in French Oak and aged for 10 months before being finished in stainless steel. The next wine is one that we know will be popular during North Carolina’s humid summer days: the 2019 Knockout Rosé. Knockout is made from Sangiovese and its secret power is bubbles. The wine is made in a frizzante style and the light bubbles seemed to make the wine twice as refreshing.

Red Wines Shine

Our appetites were whetted for the red wines to follow. The 2018 Cabernet Franc exemplifies what we love about North Carolina wine. It has graceful notes of red fruit and a touch of herbs. Good acidity means a balanced and lively wine. A bottle retails for $34.

Cabernet Sauvignon is a riddle for North Carolina producers. It is difficult to coax the depth of color and the intensity of flavor that West Coast wines enjoy. Serre offers a good 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, but our preference is for the other reds offered.

A case in point is the 2017 The Early Blend. Made in cooperation with Round Peak Vineyards, The Early Blend is… wait for it… a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and a splash of Barbera. This is Serre’s best-selling wine. We found it to be beautiful with swirls of blackberry and plum.

Italian grapes have found a home in the North Carolina mountains, with Sangiovese showing particularly well. The 2018 Reserve Sangiovese was my favorite, with savory flavors of cherry with floral accents and a base of earthy rusticity. The Green Dragon and I enjoyed a glass of The Early Blend and the
Reserve Sangiovese respectively while enjoying a picnic lunch at the Adirondack chairs out back.

In the “it’s not our thing but it might be yours” category, we also tasted the semi-sweet Carolina Wine Mixer (Chardonnay and Pinot Gris) plus the sweet Nautilife Rosé. The Rosé is made with

California Grenache grapes and features a remarkable plastic bottle. It looks just like a glass bottle but can bounce -- which is helpful if you’re having fun out on a boat or a setting where a glass bottle might shatter.

Serre Vineyards offers live music and other special events. Charcuterie is available for snacking. In May, Serre is open weekly except for Tuesday and Wednesday. Serre is also a perfect location for your own special event or wedding.

We’re excited to see the addition of Serre to the NC wine scene and fully expect it to develop into one of the most popular winery destinations in the state. We suggest you visit now to avoid the crowds!

Three Regions, Three Great Rosé Expressions For Springtime

Here are three affordable, totally tasty rosé wines we know you’ll love.

Get Ready To Celebrate

The flowers are blooming, birds are singing, and the temperature is rising. Everyone knows what time of year it is: it’s rosé season!

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To prepare for National Rosé Day on June 8, we delved into this most delightful style of blush wine, popping open three bottles from three different regions. We’re happy to recommend this trio of deliciousness:

Hampton Water Rosé 2020, South of France

This rosé is the creation of Jesse Bongiovi, son of rock legend John Bon Jovi. Far from being a celebrity gimmick, this wine has garnered a slew of awards, including being included in the Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines list.

The wine is made with the assistance of famed French winemaker Gerard Bertrand, whose wines we adore. It is a blend of Grenache (60%)  blended with Cinsault (15%), Mourvedre (15%), and Syrah (10%) traditional grapes of the French Mediterranean. We really enjoy wines from the Languedoc region and this is no exception.

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It has clean notes of red fruit and citrus and has body that is a notch fuller than a Provence-style rosé. We see this as a perfect pairing with seafood. Although we’ve never been to the Hamptons, we can catch a sip of that carefree lifestyle while sipping this wine. A sub-$25 SRP winner.

Ca Di Prata Brut 2019, Prosecco Rosé DOC

We had no idea that until November 2020, there was no such thing as Prosecco Rosé. Even though the Friuli region has a long history of making sparkling rosé it couldn’t carry Prosecco on the label. A long-debated proposal was finally approved by the regulating council, and we couldn’t be happier.

This bubbler has 85% Glera (the traditional grape for Prosecco) and 15% Pinot Nero (aka Pinot Noir). With a $17 SRP, we found this wine to be an exemplary food wine. It has notes of strawberry and violet with fresh red fruits. There are nice streaming bubbles, but they dissipate rapidly.

The Ca’ di Prata name and label pay tribute to the municipality of Prata di Pordenone within the region of Friuli, where these wines are made.  A location famous for its historic bell tower, beautiful vineyards, and surrounding farmlands, the Ca’ di Prata label features a rendition of the tower on its label.

Reserve des Chastelles 2019 Rosé, Tavel

Occasionally when shopping at Trader Joe’s, we’ll stock up on everyday wine. It has a nice selection of European wines and there are some evenings you really don’t need to crack open a $75 bottle of vino.

We had just about wrapped up a recent shopping trip when this bottle caught my eye. Tavel rosé is trending, at least with me. Tavel is the only region in France’s Rhone Valley that is dedicated solely to the production of rosé and I think it shows in the taste and quality.

First of all, Tavel rosé isn’t for the weak-kneed. It’s got a bit more heft to it, and the color gives you a clue to that. Instead of a pale salmon color like a Provence rosé, it is a bold red, like a translucent rose petal. It is composed of 60% Grenache, 25% Cinsault, and 15% Syrah but the expression has much more structure than most rosé wines. It’s a rosé that red wine drinkers can appreciate.

There are layers of strawberry, watermelon, and a dash of minerality. It is juicy with a touch of tartness. All this is to say, there are layers of flavors rather than being a one-note wine.

The most startling thing about this wine is the price. It is a mere $8.99! At this price, you can buy a couple of cases to tide you through the rest of the pandemic. It’s only available at Trader Joe’s.

For under $25, you have three great picks to celebrate spring and National Rosé Day.

Full disclosure: Some of this wine was received as a marketing sample.

Villa Appalaccia: Virginia Winery Visit

A taste of Tuscany in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains.

Location, location, location. Those are the three most important factors in real estate. When our daughter decided to purchase land and build a cabin in Meadows of Dan, Virginia, we learned the location was fortunate indeed.

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Just two and a half miles from the building site is Villa Appalaccia, a winery with its roots in Virginia, but its head in Italy, in fact, it calls its style a taste of Tuscany in the Blue Ridge Mountains (between mileposts 170 and 171 on the Blue Ridge Parkway and near Floyd). With the weather blustery and cool, we decided to suspend construction on the cabin and head to the winery.

Lofty Location

The winery was established in 1989, we learned, and the original owners had a scientific background. They determined that the elevations and soils were a good match for Italian grape varieties. Villa Appalaccia was purchased in 2018 by Tim and Julie Block.

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The location of Villa Appalaccia is ideal. The stone villa is on a sloping hill that features outdoor tables and seating and also a bocce court. It is at 3,400 feet elevation, while the vineyard is a couple miles away and 1,200 feet lower to lessen the dangers of frost and high winds. Heyward Smith, the son-in-law of Tim and Julie, and the winery manager explained the wines to our tasting group of family and friends as we sipped.

We opened up with the whites, the first a 2019 Pinot Grigio, a light smooth wine with crisp flavors of pear and citrus. The next two wines were both made from Vidal Blanc. We are familiar with Vidal mostly from our time in Ohio. It is a cold hearty grape and also a popular choice for making ice wine.

Italian Varieties And More

The 2019 Lirico (lyrical in Italian) is 100% Vidal and has delicious green apple and lime notes. It bright and flavorful. It goes for $18.95.

Allegra is also 100% Vidal but is produced in a frizzante style, the light fizz being reminiscent of dry Prosecco. This is an upbeat, fun wine that we could sip all day. There are notes of lemon-lime and honey. It’s one of the driest wines produced by Villa Appalaccia.  Both Lirico and Allegra are finished in stainless steel to keep the crisp, precise flavors.

The 2019 Rosa is a rosé made with Merlot and Semillon. This was the first time I’ve tasted a rosé that included Semillon, which is a white grape.

Villa Appalachia offers three very nice reds. Each is aged in neutral oak, so as to not overwhelm the delicate flavors. The first red was the 2019 Sangiovese, a grape we dearly love. Heyward calls this a perfect pizza wine. The notes are deep berries with a touch of spice on the finish.

Delicious Red Wines

The Corvina was an excellent surprise. Sangiovese isn’t super common, but you can find it. Corvina, on the other hand, is much more difficult to locate. According to Heyward, Corvina loves slate, which the Villa Appalaccia vineyard has in abundance. The notes are sour cherry mingled with strawberry and a bit of pepper on the end.

The flagship blend of Villa Appalaccia is Rustico, a balanced 50/50 blend of Montepulciano and Cabernet Franc. The wine is aged for 12 months in oak barrels. This is a fuller-bodied wine with plum and blackberry flavors. Due to the aging in neutral oak, it works well with a variety of lighter meat dishes as well as vegetarian cuisine and pasta.

In addition to great wine and friendly service, the winery is dog friendly (yay!) and has resumed its live music schedule. Due to the weather and our schedule, we didn’t get a chance to play bocce, but you can count on it during our next visit! The winery is open Wednesday through Sunday.

Sylvan Bird Park In North Carolina Is Heaven For Bird Lovers

The largest collection of waterfowl species in the world is in Scotland Neck, NC.

Photos and article by Dave Nershi, CSW

During pandemic times, we’ve steered clear of out-of-state trips and airplane flights in favor of day trips around North Carolina. As I flipped through my book of day trips from Raleigh-Durham, an unusual suggestion caught my eye: the Sylvan Heights Bird Park.

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The Sylvan Heights Bird Park is located in the tiny Halifax County community of Scotland Neck. It is billed as the world’s largest collection of waterfowl. My wife and I enjoy birdwatching and seeing rare and unusual birds, as we did in Australia and Costa Rica, is a treat we relish.

A World Of Bird Watching

As we entered the 18-acre park, we were gratified to find that this is really a national-quality attraction that not only provides a glimpse of beautiful and diverse birds but is an avian breeding center where many rare and endangered waterfowl species are raised each year. Biologists and zookeepers from around the world also study and train there.

The walk-through aviaries are organized by continent. While some birds were in caged areas, a large part of the park features spacious netted aviaries that allow you to walk through the bird habitat -- and also take photos without an obstructed view.

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The variety of birds is really astounding, everything from the Abyssinian Ground Hornbill to the Black Swan, the Masked Lapwing to Temminck’s Tragopan, and the Scarlet Ibis to the Whooping Crane. There are more than 2,000 species at the park, showcasing the amazing variety of shapes, colors, and behavior of the bird world.

Admission is $12 (ages 13 to 61), $11 (seniors), $9 (ages 3 to 12) and free for children two and under. You should allow at least two hours for your visit to the park. Park hours are 9 to 5 Tuesday through Sunday. Please note that the hours for the Landing Zone (we’ll get to this in a moment) are different. It closes at 4 PM and was closed for lunch from 1 to 2 PM during our visit. We suggest buying your tickets online to avoid potentially long lines at the visitor center.

Touching Down In The Landing Zone

We had a ball exploring the different areas of the park and getting “up close and personal” with the birds. There are a couple of boardwalks that go off into the woods, which are a nice diversion but feature no displays. The park has a nice picnic pavilion and the Duck Landing restaurant serves up sandwiches and quick bites. Each meal is made to order, which is great, but it also can mean a long wait. There are numerous picnic tables.

The final stop on our visit was the Landing Zone. This is a large enclosed aviary into which a small number of guests are admitted at one time. There are scores of birds, mostly parakeets, and they will readily perch on your fingers or even head. At the visitor center, you can purchase waterfowl food pellets and seed sticks (popsicle sticks coated with seed). The parakeets love the seed sticks and interacting with the birds (and being perched upon them) was a highlight of the trip.

The Sylvan Bird Park is a marquee attraction nestled off the beaten path in North Carolina. It’s the perfect opportunity to spend time with your feathery friends.